Summer Updates in the Wine Law Field

As summer passes by, there are several noteworthy updates with respect to wine law. These updates cover upcoming and prior events, relating mostly to the academic side of wine and its intersection with the law. It is wonderful to see the variety of events and the opportunities to learn and interact with others interested in wine and law. If there are any events, past or present, that I missed, please contact me.

The third annual Wine and Law Program at the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne met early in July with its third class of students from around the world. This year’s lecturers were Tracy Genesen of Kirkland Ellis, Steve Charters of the Reims Management School, Barton Seldon of Gartenberg, Gelfand, Hayton, & Seldon LLP, and Director Theodore Georgopoulos. Trips included visits to the caves at Moët & Chandon and Veuve Cliquot-Ponsardin, the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (“CIVC”), and a cooperative in the Cote de Blanc town Vertus. You can read more about this year’s program at the blog Wine with Kat & Friends, featuring a recollection of her experience at the Wine and Law Program week one and week two. Reading her entries reminds me of my own experience at the Wine and Law Program last summer, and I very much hope to return to Reims one day in the future.

This next update is one I received many inquiries about in the past, and it is a pleasure to present additional information on a conference dedicated exclusively to the wine, beer, and spirits industries. The Seventeenth Annual Wine, Beer & Spirits Law Conference will take place this fall at the Hyatt Regency in Austin, Texas. The conference, which will be held September 20-21, 2012, includes discussions on alcohol beverage regulations and transactional details. This year’s conference features speakers from many backgrounds, including the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (“TTB”), the Wine Institute, and many law firms throughout the states. For more information or to register, visit Seventeenth Annual Wine, Beer & Spirits Law Conference. 

Finally, the Reims Wine and Law Program recently started collecting papers for its new international seminar called Wine Law in Context. The objective is to bring together scholars in the wine and spirits law field, as well as wine economics, sociology, ethnology, or political science. While the date for submitting a CV and paper description passed, the Wine and Law Program has many strong ideas for bringing together scholars in the wind and law field on an international level. It will be exciting to see the measures the Program takes in the future.